The designs curated range from a simple sandal decorated in pure gold leaf from ancient Egypt to wildly elaborate designs from contemporary makers.
Hakes’ Mojito shoe collections have been given the Drapers award for “Best footwear designer of the year 2012” and the London-based designer’s footwear will take its place as part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection when the exhibition closes.
Hakes, who operates his various practices from offices in London and Hong Kong, used an Ultimaker 2 3D printer to build various prototypes and iterations of the shoes after first discovering the
As an architect, Hakes had been working in London for more than 10 years before shifting the focus of his work towards fashion – and shoes in particular.
“One late summer night in the studio I was thinking about the design of shoes in general,” Hakes says of his epiphany. “I wondered why there was the need for a foot plate in shoes such as high heels. When I look at a footprint on sand it is very clear to see that the main force goes to the heel and ball. With a high heel providing the heel is supported, even by standing on a wooden block the foot naturally ‘spans’ the gap naturally, with bones and tendons.”
So Hakes says he began to exploring the question in much the same way he would think about the design of a bridge. He examined the parameters involved and then sought “the most simple, elegant – yet poetic – expression of the forces at play within the materials used.”
Thus was born the ‘Mojito,’ so named as it looked a bit like a twist of lime skin.
What do you think of the Mojito Shoe from designer and architect Julian Hakes? Can you see purchasing a pair? Let us know in the 3D Printed Mojito Shoe forum thread on 3DPB.com.